0install 2.0 released

0install 2.0 is out today. Zero Install is a decentralised cross-platform software installation system, allowing software developers to publish programs directly from their own websites, while still supporting shared libraries, automatic updates, dependency handling and digital signatures. It complements, rather than replaces, the OS’ package management. Departing from its traditional use of installing desktop applications, many of the new features were driven by requirements from the Ryppl project, which is using 0install as the package manager in a modular build system for C++ projects.

The download worked fine for me. But so far (at least on Windows) I’m not impressed at all. The “catalog” has a bare handful of programs, several of which are already available via Ninite. The only advantage I see over the latter service is the ability to run the program before downloading. However, that’s a pretty slim advantage until the catalog is expanded beyond a few games and random PC tools.

Clicked the link again from another browser and another internetconnection and still no download after 20 seconds. I am not going to use any “package manager” that cannot even get itself installed on my system

Thanks for the mirror, but I saw that version 1.14 was there just 1 hour ago and hasn’t been downloaded by anyone (you put it there especially for me?)

I’ve also linked it from the front page. It still says zero downloads now, so I guess sf.net stats don’t update in real-time.

All newer versions seem only for Linux, so it seems clear where the focus of this project is.

The Windows version generally lags by a month or two, although it also has extra features (e.g. the catalog stuff). It’s not quite the same as the POSIX version, although it shares some of the code and can process the same packages.

And again, a zero-installer that requires an installer and cannot even provide that simply screams “stay away, we don’t want you as a user”

Many installers (pip, easy_install, cabal, maven, etc) work this way, requiring you to install the installer before you can use it.

There was a project to change that (dynamically generating an installer for the user’s platform), but it’s not ready: